21. Heath

Chapter 21

Heath

“ D id you see how happy Jeff was when he saw that peahen in Terry’s van? I was almost jealous. He never looked at me like that unless it was snack time.”

Making the choice to have Jeff live on a bird breeding farm wasn’t as hard as watching Terry drive off with him. That hurt. A lot.

“I did. Like a kid at Christmas. I’ve never seen him move that fast. Guess Terry brought the hottest fowl from his farm.”

Marko’s arm tightens around me, and I snuggle into his chest. After Jeff left, Marko didn’t even ask what I needed. He made some calls and told me he was staying. I overheard him talking to Curtis and I know he rescheduled a client to be here for me. While I appreciate his willingness to be here, I feel guilty about him giving up work.

“You’re sure your business is okay with you taking all this time off? I feel bad. You’re losing money because of me.”

His hand cups my jaw, and he tilts my head back so I can look at him. His brown eyes flash with something unfamiliar.

“Money will never be more important than you, sre?o .” Marko’s gaze is fierce. It makes my skin flush, and, in a surprise twist, my dick hard. “I know what valuing money over your family can do to a person. I’ve lived it and it’s not something I ever want to do again.”

Marko bends to kiss me, and his hand tightens on my jaw. Even with the punishing grip he has on me, his kiss is tender and exactly what I needed. One kiss eases my worries over Jeff and brings me back to my other new reality. A man who I’ve fallen hard and fast for. He accepts my quirks. Loves them even. Nobody has ever made me feel the way he does.

When he releases me, he smooths his palm over my cheek and kisses my forehead.

“It’s been a long day. We should get some rest before tomorrow. You still want to keep our plans for the weekend?”

“I do. I can’t stay here and wallow. Besides, Dan told me to take the time off. Apparently, I don’t take vacations, so he said for me to not rush back and relax for once. Honestly, I know I need the time away too. It’s all too much to think about right now. I never thought there’d be a time I’d never have Jeff with me.”

Realistically, I know he wouldn’t have been with me forever. Life ends sometime. But I really loved that bird and now that he’s gone, I feel like I’ll never be able to look at a Styrofoam cup of ice water again.

Marko stands from my sofa and turns off the TV. I don’t even know what we were watching. I was just happy to be snuggled into his arms and trying to focus on how happy Jeff will be in his new home.

“Come on, ljubavi . Let’s get to bed.”

Marko offers me his hand and when I take it, he leads me to the bathroom and turns the shower on .

Without another word, he undresses me, and I get it. For the first time in my adult life, I think I understand what he’s doing. Even though my dick gets hard with his hands on me like this, that’s not what it’s about.

“You’re kind of incredible, you know?”

Marko smiles, and the lines around his eyes deepen at the sides.

“Thank you. So are you.” His hand guides me towards the shower. “Take some time and decompress, Heath. Let the water turn cold if you want. I’ll be right outside if you need me.”

“Oh. You’re not joining me?”

“Don’t bat those lashes at me. I would, but I think you should take some time alone. Be with your thoughts.” He kisses me softly. “I’m here for you, okay? I think you need this. I might be wrong, but just in case…”

With a nod, I step into the shower, and Marko closes the bathroom door as he leaves. I have to admit, he’s right. The hot water feels good and the tightness in my shoulders fades. Jeff is gone, my car is dead, and I’m in love with a man who’s taking me to meet his grandmother tomorrow. I’m in this weird place of impossibly excited and a little bit broken.

Everything is happening at once and while I feel like I should be overwhelmed, I’m not. I’ll miss Jeff. I know I’ll struggle to find a new routine without him, but… it’s life, right? When Alec had his favourite rescue horse pass away, he kept going. We’ve all had hurdles to overcome, and that’s what this is for me.

My car can wait. Blaze said he’d find the perfect place for it. I trust him.

But the man in my loft can’t wait .

After turning off the shower, I pat myself dry and wrap a towel around my waist before brushing my teeth. Steam billows out of the bathroom when I open the door and turn towards the corner where my bed sits. Marko waits there with the lamp on and his phone in his hand.

“Feel better?”

“I do. You were right. I just needed time to think things over. Shocking even myself, I’m okay.”

Dropping the towel on the floor, Marko’s gaze rakes down my body and he lifts the blankets for me. After sliding under them and snuggling next to him, he turns on his side to face me.

“You’re capable, Heath. I hope you know that.”

“I do. I didn’t before, but I do now. When Jeff came here, he taught me I could handle anything; I just didn’t realize it until now.” Sliding my fingers through Marko’s dark hair, our gazes lock. “You taught me there’s more to sex than just getting off.”

His palm trails down my side and rests on my hip. “Did I?”

“I never connected with any of my partners like I do with you. Not just in bed, either. Maybe I’m na?ve again here, but…I think that’s what makes us so great together. We’ve got this vibe or this—”

“I like to think of it as a pull. Like a tide. It always comes back to you.”

“Yeah. It always comes back to you, Marko. I may be capable of handling things on my own, but I always look for you.” Pressing my lips to his, a small sigh escapes his mouth.

“I’ve never seen the ocean,” I whisper.

“I’ll take you to the sea. You’ll love it. ”

His hand squeezes my hip before sliding to my ass and pulling me closer. Our legs tangle together, and our kisses are gentle. It’s like the first time all over again, exploring the touch and taste of someone new. Not pushing ahead to sex, but keeping us in this moment of tender vulnerability.

When we finally settle for the night, it’s with a new sense of purpose in my heart.

***

Marko kills the engine on his bike after parking on the curb outside of a very skinny-looking house. All the houses here press together and seem to be taller rather than wider.

After we’ve dismounted and removed our helmets, he motions towards the house.

“This is baka’s house. Leave your helmet here and we’ll come get our stuff after saying hello.”

Marko takes my hand and leads me down a path to the back door. I pause before stepping up onto the porch and admire the postage stamp of a yard.

“Marko, this is gorgeous. Your baka likes to garden?”

He grins. “She does. If you tell her you love the garden, be prepared for a tour with plant history.”

Marko holds the door for me, and I step through into a tiny alcove. Even the doors are skinny here. I’m only 5’10” and Marko is easily 6’2”. He knocks before opening the door and ducks his head to step inside .

“ Pazi na glavu .” He grins when he turns around to motion me inside and places a hand on the top of my head. “That means watch your head. We say that a lot here, since all the doorways are so low.”

I don’t think I need to duck, but I do it anyway.

“ Bako ! We’re here!” Marko leans down and whispers. “She speaks English perfectly fine, but often speaks Croatian when I’m around to ‘ keep me sharp ,’ she says. I promise she’s not saying bad things.”

“Jura!”

A tiny woman in a navy-blue dress shuffles from a back room into the entrance where we stand, which is actually the kitchen. And it smells amazing.

Watching Marko bend down to hug his tiny grandmother and do the double kiss on the cheek thing is nothing short of adorable. They speak a few rapid sentences in Croatian before Marko takes my hand and pulls me a step forward.

“Heath, this is my baka . You can call her Lucy.”

Lucy steps forward, and I greet her with the same double kiss. “It’s nice to meet you. Marko speaks of you often.”

“He needs to speak less and visit more.” She holds my hands in hers and her eyes, still bright even with the obvious signs of cataracts, bore into mine. “Heat.” She can’t say the ‘ th ’ part of my name after a few attempts and huffs. “That’s a hard name to say. Hal is better.”

“You can call me whatever you’d like.” I say with a smile.

She drops my hands abruptly and turns back to Marko. “ Lijepe o?i .”

I don’t know what that means, but Marko blushes. He actually turns pink as he agrees with his grandmother and we sit at the tiny kitchen table. I catch his eye, and he leans over.

“She said you have pretty eyes,” he whispers as he grips my thigh under the table.

“So, Hal. My grandson brought you here to meet me and the rest of the old country people. Did he warn you about the work?”

“Work?” I cock an eyebrow at Marko. “He didn’t. But I’m happy to help. What do you need?”

She and Marko speak in Croatian again, and one word I recognize, the name of the almond cookies I made for Marko.

“Do you want me to bake? I’d love to.”

She nods, showing that she has decided, and Marko frowns.

“Are you sure? I didn’t bring you here to put you to work. You’re supposed to be relaxing. Well, as relaxing as meeting your boyfriend’s family can be.”

“Baking is fun. I don’t mind.”

A loud knock comes at the door, and a giant man with white hair enters. Lucy turns and the two of them talk while Marko leans in to steal a kiss. “Let’s get our things upstairs and I’ll explain what’s about to happen.”

A few more Croatian men enter and it’s loud and crowded in the small kitchen. Marko chimes in and pulls me along after him reminding me to pazi na glavu and we leave the kitchen gathering behind.

Once outside, he huffs a breath and turns to me.

“Are you okay?”

“Of course, I am. Why wouldn’t I be? ”

“Well, you weren’t supposed to get roped into cooking. Baka said she wouldn’t. That’s what we were arguing about.”

“You were arguing? Huh. I didn’t pick up on that. I just heard the cookie name, and you said to just chime in, so I did.”

He bends down for a quick kiss. “I did say that. Thank you. I’m just sorry I didn’t explain how this all works before coming here.”

We’ve reached his bike, and he removes our small duffle bags out of the saddlebags. Really, it’s more like an extra-large shave kit in size. Duffle is far too generous for what we have.

“I’m here with you, Marko. That’s all that matters.”

“Yeah…about that. When you offered to bake, you’ll be in the kitchen with a bunch of older Croatian women for most of the day.”

“Well, that’s not bad. Where will you be?”

“With the men at the spit helping to cook the lamb. Which is really just sitting around and drinking while we watch meat cook.” When I laugh, he shakes his head. “I’m not even kidding.”

“Oh. It’s fine. I’ll learn about your country at the very least.”

My phone chimes with a message in my pocket, and I fish it out as I follow Marko back to the house. When I see who it’s from, I call out for Marko to stop.

“Terry sent pics of Jeff and says he’s settling in splendidly. He already has a small group of hens he favours and no aggressive behaviour so far. He’s eating and drinking well.” Clicking on the attached photos, my heart swells. Jeff stands proud in a group of six females. It might just be me, but he looks relaxed. Can a bird get sexed out?

The next picture is…bird porn. Jeff is actively mating and I feel like I violated his privacy by opening the picture .

“Looks like he’s doing more than eating and drinking well.” Marko chuckles over my shoulder and with his free hand, pulls me against his chest and kisses me below the ear.

“He’s living the dream, isn’t he?”

“He’s in bird heaven. Look at his face.”

I’d rather not, at least not while he’s impregnating his lady friend, but Marko is right. There’s something about him in all the photos Terry sent that tells the story of a content bird. As much as I hated seeing him go, I love that he’s living his best life. This text sets the final bit of guilt free, and I shove the phone back in my pocket. Missing him will take longer to go away, but I know he’s where he should be now.

“I’d rather look at your face.” Turning in Marko’s arms, I loop my arms around his neck and push up on my toes to kiss him. “While I suck your dick. The best sight ever is how you look at me when I’m on my knees for you.”

Marko groans softly and squeezes my ass with his free hand.

“Heath…don’t give me a hard-on before we have to visit with my grandmother for a few hours. I’m begging you.”

“It’s usually me begging. This is different.”

Sliding my nose along his, a wave of longing for this to be my everyday life slams into me. It’s like the time I accidentally got a hole in one playing mini golf. I was aiming for a bank shot and missed. But the ball bounced over the small moat on the course, off the cement elephant, and into the hole. It took me by surprise.

Just like Marko. I wasn’t aiming for him, but I’m sure happy about where I landed.

“This is different.” His voice is raspy as he chases my lips. “But let’s get through the next several hours before either of us begs.”

Laughing, I step back and take his hand.

“I’ll hold you to that.”